Their Fathers' Sons
In his lyrical and heartfelt introduction of his running mate, Governor Mitt Romney said one thing that particularly struck me. Romney spoke of Wisconsin Congressman and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's Midwestern background, and how it instilled in him a devotion and love of America. And then Romney said---in a brief biographical note---that Ryan's father had passed away when he was young.
That's when it hit me. The fall contest will be more Obama v. Ryan than Obama v. Romney. Obama and Ryan are the same generation, although Obama is several years older. They're both hip and cool. They're both gym rats. And they're both the intellectual leaders of their movements. The battle will be focused on these two personalities and the ideas and policies for which they stand.
That's why it struck me as incredibly telling that both men also had fathers who left them at an early age. Obama's father checked out and left the family when Barack was just a toddler. He later died in an alcohol-related car crash in Kenya, where he had returned to assist the socialist movement (advocating socialized medicine and a 100 percent tax rate). Ryan's father passed away when he was a teenager.
After losing their fathers, these men chose very different paths. Obama became a stoner, the leader of a dope group nicknamed the "Choom Gang." Later, he copped to doing "a little blow." As he's said himself, he went on to seek out the Marxist professors and students at school, became an Alinskyite, rabble-rousing socialism advocate that went under the euphemism "community organizer," and befriended anti-American radicals such as Bill Ayers, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and Rashid Khalidi. After brief stints in the Illinois State Senate (where he voted "present" much of the time) and the U.S. Senate (where he was classified as the most liberal member, sitting to the left of the only self-described socialist in the chamber, Senator Bernie Sanders), he became president and took the country on a redistributionist joyride, creating a tornado-like path of destruction.
By contrast, when Ryan's father died, teenage Paul became the leader of his family. He took care of his grandmother, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, so that his mother could go back to school in order to get a better job. He worked all hours to support his family, even working for Oscar Meyer selling hot dogs and Lunchables. Rumor has it he even drove the Weinermobile. He went on to serve his community as the youngest member of Congress (the year he was elected), rose to prominence for his intellectual rigor and honesty, and became the House Budget Chairman, a position from which he proposed two courageous and honest budgets to save America from fiscal ruin.
So let's see: Both boys faced the trauma of losing a father. One chose to be a professional grievance identifier, trafficking in teaching victimization and cultivating dependency on government. The other chose a path of self-sufficiency for himself, his family, and the nation; a road of self-determination, independence, and freedom -- in other words, the road the Founders so painstakingly gave each one of us.
When Obama speaks of the "fundamental transformation" of the nation, he means remaking America in the image of his father's socialist dreams. When Ryan speaks of "fundamentally restoring" the nation, he means moving America back to the nation of his father, in which individual responsibility, limited government, fiscal sanity, and economic freedom prevailed.
These are the competing visions for America. And they both began with men who disappeared from their sons' lives many years ago, leaving them with their animating spirits. The fate of the country will rest with which path we choose on November 6.
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Jun '10
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
Beautiful contrast. I would add another. One chose to view the world from the perch of the "intellectual elite," a place where one's nose is perpetually in the air. The other chose to embrace the solid ground of middle America, feet on the ground, one of the people, with an anti-Utopian perspective on life.
Isn't it odd that the "so-called" party of the people is run by intellectual elites, while the party of the fat cats is filled with people like Paul Ryan?
Mar '11
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
That might be a bit of a stretch in Mr Obama's case, as he is simply parroting his mentors. His only originality is in the re-packaging, to hide the original contents.
Edited on August 14, 2012 at 8:55pmSep '10
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
Reading this wonderful contrast the case is so compelling I cannot imagine why anyone would vote for Obama and yet he got elected...the phrase "what a country" may begin to take on a whole new meaning though I fervently hope it does not.
Jun '10
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
Or, you could say, they both became the kind of men that their mothers admired.
Mar '12
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
Great inaugural post, Monica. Like tabula rasa, I love the way you've laid out the distinctions in the paths and worldviews of the co-generationalists, Ryan and Obama.
It's interesting to think of Ryan and Obama as the intellectual leaders of their movements. While that may be true, Ryan is clearly more comfortable with both the overall principles and fine details of conservatism than Obama is with those of liberalism. Ryan seems more than happy to "take you to the deep end of the pool" on any issue (but, to his credit, does so in a way that doesn't come across as pedantic). Witness his famous 6-minute takedown of Obamacare. Obama, however, is quite the opposite. Even though he's an intellectual leader (figurehead?) of the Left, I have trouble imagining him defending the details of, say, Obamacare, at length or in response to challenging questions. I doubt he immerses himself to the depth that Ryan does in his material. He'll duck behind "change is hard" banalities or strawmen that don't require the kind of intellectual rigor that Ryan displays.
It will be interesting to see if this distinction is probed going forward.
Edited on August 14, 2012 at 9:05pmDec '10
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
Monica Crowley:
The fall contest will be more Obama v. Ryan than Obama v. Romney.
This raises the question, are we doing it wrong? Why is our headliner being overshadowed by his understudy?
Edited on August 15, 2012 at 12:21amSep '10
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
The King Prawn
Monica Crowley:
The fall contest will be more Obama v. Ryan than Obama v. Romney.
This begs the question, are we doing it wrong? Why is our headliner being overshadowed by his understudy? · 4 minutes ago
The essence of a good strategy is to always attack on 2 fronts.
Jul '12
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
Excellent analysis from Monica Crowley, the one Crowley we all wish could moderate a debate this Fall. As usual, Tabula Rasa nailed the imponderable in a way worthy of the late George Carlin. Nice one, Tab!
Sep '10
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
Romney debate line:
"Oh come on Mr. President: let's be Frank."
Sep '10
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
Maybe the reason Obama hasn't articulated his real vision for the nation is also the reason he shows so little passion in his rhetoric and that is that he knows his true vision is fundamentally at odds with the American grain. He earned his status as leader of the movement as well as the Office of President by duplicity and obfuscation.
Feb '11
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
You don't understand, Obama was black, oppressed, yadda yadda
Oct '10
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
This reminds me of the interview in Claire Berlinski's bio on Thatcher with her Press Secretary. In it he said that she was her father's son, to which Claire repeated what he said in order to give him a chance to clarify his mistake. To which he said,"Well, I mean, she was." Thatcher admired her dad and I wonder to what extent these men admire their dads and try to live up to what they were taught by them. Dinesh D'souza seems to think that was the case with Obama.
Jul '11
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
Hello and welcome. Obama looks like a haggard smoker rather than a gym rat. The vision he has for our country is diametrically opposed to Paul Ryan's. That is not surprising as one person loves our country with his heart and soul while the other wants to mold our considerable resources in to a Marxist utopia.
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
Thoughtful but wrong in two particulars. First, Obama is not an intellectual leader: he is the front man for a long-established view. Ryan is a real pioneer. Second, you cannot rely on Obama's autobiography (which is a work of historical fiction). As David Maraniss has established, Obama's parents separated within a month of his birth. Mother and son went to Seattle, where she enrolled at the University of Washington, and they did not return to Hawaii until Obama's father had left.
Jul '12
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
Monica Crowley:
...
That's why it struck me as incredibly telling that both men also had fathers who left them at an early age. Obama's father checked out and left the family when Barack was just a toddler.
...
Ryan's father passed away when he was a teenager.
After losing their fathers, these men chose very different paths.
...
· · 1 hour ago
Gotta disagree with you there.
It's not like they were in the same situation and made opposite choices.
If you are going to compare backgrounds and contrast each man's reaction, I think it only fair to point out the dissimilarity between the backgrounds.
There's a pretty big difference between no father and 16 years of a good father.
President Barack Obama's father was absent.
Based on the results, I'm going to guess Congerssman Paul Ryan's father provided him enough direction in 16 years to last him a lifetime.
Edited on August 14, 2012 at 10:17pmAug '10
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
Monica,
I know that Generation X isn't set in stone with regard to its dates, but I consider Obama to be a late end Boomer and Ryan to be a Gen X-er. A part of this is because of the age that each candidate would have been during the Reagan Administration.
Ryan was in his pre-teen and teen years when Reagan was President, Obama was in his 20s. I think that being a pre-teen and teen during the Reagan Administration did a lot to shape me politically. The same as it would have if I were a pre-teen and teen during the Nixon Watergate scandal and the Carter years.
They are very much products of different Generations.
Feb '12
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
The King Prawn
Monica Crowley:
The fall contest will be more Obama v. Ryan than Obama v. Romney.
This begs the question, are we doing it wrong? Why is our headliner being overshadowed by his understudy? · 1 hour ago
To enable the 16 year presidency...
Feb '12
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
Monica Crowley:
As he's said himself, he went on to seek out the Marxist professors and students at school, became an Alinskyite, rabble-rousing socialism advocate that went under the euphemism "community organizer," and befriended anti-American radicals such as Bill Ayers, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and Rashid Khalidi.
That would be, the domestic terrorist, Bill Ayers.
Jul '11
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
I'd add another contrast. Barack Obama has Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Paul Ryan is a real human being. One craves acknowledgement of his natural superiority and anyone who challenges that is spit upon viciously. The other leads by example, wants the best for our country and is willing to discuss and debate those who criticize him.
Jan '11
Re: Their Fathers' Sons
Teddy Kennedy used to say that his father was the motivator to succeed, but the father didn't care where they succeeded. It was his mother who drew them to do it in politics.
You'd wonder whether the reverse is true with women, but Nancy Pelosi gives the lie to that (her father was Mr. Politics in Baltimore for many years).